Dramatic moment shipwrecked dad and sons are rescued from sinking boat on fire

12 May 2023 , 13:24

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Dramatic moment shipwrecked dad and sons are rescued from sinking boat on fire

Dramatic photographs capture the desperate moment a shipwrecked family were rescued after their boat caught fire and sank.

Joe Davies and his two sons, Sonny, 11, and eight-year-old Rudy, were enjoying a fishing trip in Poole Harbour, Dorset, when the engine on their 15ft rigid inflatable boat caught fire.

Fearing the fire would cause an explosion, Mr Davies helped his sons into the water before swimming to land - a nearby isolated beach on the Arne peninsula in Dorset.

Mr Davies raised the alarm using his mobile phone that had been in a waterproof bag. While they waited for rescue to come, the family looked on as the blazing boat sank.

A lifeboat crew member lifts eight-year-old Rudy on to the lifeboat (RNLI/BNPS)

The family had to swim to a remote beach before they were rescued (RNLI/BNPS)

A lifeboat crew from Poole RNLI arrived on the scene minutes later and plucked the trio to safety. All three were wearing lifejackets.

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Mr Davies said: "The fire took hold pretty quickly, and with the fuel tanks on board I didn't know what was going to explode. There was no other option than to bail out. Luckily, we all had our buoyancy aids on and it was low tide, so we didn't have to swim too far before we reached the shore.

Photographs show the boat bursting into flames (PooleLifeboatStation/BNPS)

"I can't praise the RNLI enough for how quickly they got out to us and the treatment we received.”

Dave Bursey, an RNLI volunteer, carried the boys to the lifeboat. He said: "We were very pleased when we arrived on scene to see that all three casualties had made it to shore safely and nobody had been injured in the fire.

The family are pictured onboard the lifeboat near Poole (RNLI/BNPS)

"Fortunately, they were all wearing buoyancy aids and weren't too far from the shore.

"The dad did the right thing in carrying a means for calling help in a waterproof pouch, then dialling 999 and asking for the coastguard as soon as it was safe to do so."

Bradley Jolly